Pacifica Institute San Diego holds its Dialogue and Friendship Dinner


Date posted: November 30, 2013

Pacifica Institute’s San Diego chapter held its 9th Annual Dialogue and Friendship Dinner at Marriot Hotel, La Jolla. The gathering saw the attendance of some 170 guests including academics, bureaucrats and religious figures.

Atilla Kahveci, Pacifica Institute’s vice-president, in his inaugural address, reflected on the crucial role of occasions that bring people of diverse faiths and cultures in fostering intercultural understanding, cooperation and peace.

The night featured journalist-author Mustafa Akyol’s keynote speech centered on his latest book “Islam without Extremes”, followed by remarks by First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Cindy Cipriani; FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Mark Hudson; and Fr. Ron Cochran of Saint Luke Catholic Church.

Akyol illustrated the role of dominant cultural factors and authoritarian rules in various countries, alongside the media lacking sound judgment, in misinterpretation of Islam with specific examples. Attorney Cipriani highlighted the importance of exercising cultural awareness and recognition of diversity in legal system to be able to achieve peace and security in society. Cipriani reaffirmed the president Obama’s call for senior state officials to reach out to and engage with every segment of society.

Next, Fr. Cochran took the floor to deliver his remarks, in which he expressed his thanks to Pacifica Institute associates who invited him over for iftar dinners throughout the month of Ramadan. He further conveyed his pleasure to have seen prejudices removed after first encounters among communities and growing hope for tomorrows.

As the night passed on with live Turkish classical music on the background, the institute’s advisory board members were presented plaques for their contributions in dialogue. Finally, the promo video of “Love is a Verb”, a documentary on Hizmet Movement -filmed in six different countries including the US and anticipated to be aired on PBS- was displayed.

Published [in Turkish] on Zaman Amerika,  November 27, 2013.

Source: HizmetMovement.Com , November 30, 2013

Tags: | | |


Related News

Leaked emails reveal Erdoğan’s son-in-law’s team fabricated news against Gülen in US

An email included in Wikileaks’ Monday publication of the leaked emails of Berat Albayrak, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son-in-law and Turkey’s minister of energy, shows that Albayrak fabricated news with pro-government people in the United States in order to defame the Gülen movement in the US media.

Peace Islands Institute Celebrates 10th Anniversary

The Peace Islands Institute (PII) is ten years old now. Its 10th Anniversary and 6th Annual Award Ceremony was held on June 2, 2013. Over 200 guests and many dignitaries joined the PII to applaud the accomplishments of the honorees and to celebrate PII’s 10th anniversary. The honorees and guests all applauded the PII for becoming an agent of dialogue, love and peace-building within a short span of time.

White House denies remarks about Gülen attributed to Obama

In an unusual statement, the White House has accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of misrepresenting the content of his phone conversation with US President Barack Obama on Feb. 19 regarding the extradition of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who lives in Pennsylvania.

First Lego League qualifier at Brooklyn Amity School

Brooklyn Amity School became a site where students dealt with all kinds of animals, including alligators, frogs, reindeer, sharks, cows, pandas, bees, and seals. As a host of the First Lego League qualifier competition, 11 different schools came to Amity School. This year, the FLL’s concept was “Animal Allies,” which allowed students to think and act like scientists and engineers.

Online Interfaith Dialogue Workshop

Respect Graduate School, Bethlemem, PA has launched an online “Interfaith Dialogue Workshop.” The workshops aims to provide basic principles of inter-faith work and empower students with foundational skills to serve in a religiously diverse social context.

Spinning on the Same World

Before Fatih Ozcan, the Mississippi representative for the Dialogue Institute of the Southwest, moved to the United States in 2002, he didn’t fully recognize the importance of communication between different cultures. The nonprofit organization, which follows Islamic scholar and social advocate Fethullah Gulen’s teachings of tolerance and mutual understanding, was in development in Houston when Ozcan first became involved.

Latest News

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

University refuses admission to woman jailed over Gülen links

In Case You Missed It

GYV calls on President Gül to investigate interference with judiciary

Turkish Review launched in UK with ceremony at House of Lords

Turkish experience in Sudan: making a difference

Government carried out a “controlled” coup in an attempt to exploit its outcomes: Opposition leader

Did Erdogan STAGE the coup?

Free speech groups condemn Turkey’s closure of 29 publishers after failed coup

Hizmet movement in the spotlight at MESA 2012

Copyright 2024 Hizmet News